Overview & Reviews

A relative newcomer to the American marketplace, Hyundai is a Korean automaker with a product line that has improved greatly over the past decade. Hyundai cars and SUVs provide a high level of content for an affordable price, and are currently backed by one of the industry's longest warranties.

In 1947, Chung Ju Yung founded the Hyundai Civil Engineering Company. Mere months later, the outfit was bombed in the Korean War. However, the company regained its footing to distinguish itself as one of Korea's leading construction enterprises during the 1950s.

By the late 1960s, Chung had turned his attention to the automobile industry. The Korean government at that time believed that it made more sense to import vehicles than produce them domestically, and had made its opinion known. Still, Chung opted to follow his own convictions, and in 1967, he founded the Hyundai Motor Company.

The company quickly established an alliance with one of the industry's oldest automakers, signing a two-year contract with Ford in 1968 to share assembly technology. Hyundai's first car, the Cortina, was created from that partnership. The manufacturer's first car to be designed and built in Korea was the compact Pony (although the car was based on Japanese technology courtesy of Mitsubishi). The vehicle made its debut in 1974, and the following year Hyundai began exporting it to overseas markets.

Hyundai entered the U.S. market in 1986 with the introduction of its subcompact Excel. The car was an immediate hit, with its supreme affordability being a primary selling point. More than 100,000 Excels were sold stateside in the first seven months. By 1988, Hyundai had begun to produce cars using its own technology. The midsize Sonata was the first fruit borne of this endeavor.

Unfortunately, Hyundai's nascent image was soon tarnished by the poor durability and reliability of its vehicles. Sales tanked. However, rather than abandon the American market in the '90s, Hyundai chose to invest heavily in new product designs and improvements in overall quality and reliability. In 1998, Hyundai also purchased Kia, another Korean automaker, to expand its business and economies of scale.

It all started to pay off by the start of the new millennium, with the 2001 Elantra in particular showing massive improvements in overall quality, reliability and performance. Other models followed suit and the desirability of Hyundai cars increased sharply. Providing an extraordinarily long warranty period didn't hurt either.

Today's lineup is indicative of Hyundai's complete turnaround. Hyundai has a vehicle for nearly every segment, including the economical Accent subcompact, the popular Elantra compact, the midsize Sonata sedan (also available as a hybrid), sporty Genesis and Veloster coupes and a couple of stylish SUVs. Hyundai has also expanded into the entry-level and premium-level luxury sedan markets with its Genesis and Equus sedans. Having gone from being the butt of late-night TV jokes in the 1980s to a well-respected manufacturer of quality vehicles, Hyundai has created a very inspiring rags-to-riches story.

User Reviews:

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  Update - 2008 Hyundai Tiburon
  By DonPat - November 10 - 3:40 pm

  I now have over 1200 miles on my Tiburon, and thought Id give an update. I finally broke in the engine, and starting at about 500 miles, my usable power increased dramatically. The engine now responds much more quickly when I hit the accelerator. The car is listed at 17 mpg in the city. That is what I get. It is listed at 23 mpg on the highway, but on a recent trip I got over 30 mpg at 75 mph. I still wish the GT Limited had an available 6-speed manual, or at least a 5-speed auto.

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  Extreme - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By Minsuk - November 10 - 10:00 am

  Hyndai cars are getting very nice. Specially this one. I love it... I drove Nissan Maxima, Toyota, Honda, and Crown Victoria. This XG350 offers more than these other cars for the price.

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  Woo-Hoo! - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By GordoJones - November 10 - 10:00 am

  My lowrider was totalled out by the insurance company so I had to get a new car. Looked at Protege5, RSX, WRX, Mustang, Matix,& Celica for 2 weeks. Went to Hyundai, last on my list. Wanted something really neat. Saw the 2003 Tiberon and purchased on the spot. Didnt even know what the car came with until already purchased, salesman gave new keys and went thru the checklist : GT 181hp V6, leather, 7-speaker Infinity w/sub, cruise, power everything, & Shift-orama! Boy was I surprised when I drove home. This thing is quick and responsive. I always wanted a red sports car.

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  Elantra: Quality and Value - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By alsara - November 10 - 10:00 am

  The Elantra is an excellent option for those seeking value and performance in an economy car. The ride and performance are first rate. Being an Acura owner, I am used to excellent fit and finish. The Elantra measures up to these standards; remarkable considering it costs half that of a 3.2 TL. Strongly recommended.

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  Bumpy but good - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By bumpy but,good.. - November 10 - 8:06 am

  Very good car, but very bumpy on hard and rough roads. Had to replace stabilizer bar after 3 days old relating to a bumpy feel on the road. Have been told that there is a problem with the strut mounts from an outside vendor and the dealership dont see the problem, but they have felt it. Im awaiting to have company rep to see the car to let me know what they can do about this problem. Other then that a cool car.

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  Best Value Suv I ever owned - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By lilarmenianboi - November 10 - 7:00 am

  I love my Tuscon it takes me everywhere that I need to go without hesitation. It drives really smooth and handles really well. I can pretty much say that I got my monies worth when I purchased it. I dont think that I would be getting rid of my vehicle any time soon. My Tuscon is Obsidian Black and I have 20" Chrome wheels on it. it makes it look like one buffed out Suv. I recieve a lot of compliments about how nice it looks and I even have people stop me and ask me questions like how does it ride and how do I like it and I tell them that I love it and it rides really well. They say that they never seen an suv like mine on the road and I reply I know thats why Im proud to own it.

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  Good Car! - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Butch - November 9 - 7:16 pm

  Its just a good car to drive every day. Before we bought this car my husband and I wanted to buy a BMW (5series)but we test drive the AZERA first and we fall in love how comfort it was when you drive itself. Not only we saved a lot of money for not buying a BMW but but we felt that we drove a car that drive more than a BMW. Price itself was a good catch for us. Were very happy about it.

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  Smokin HOT - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By MZKL - November 9 - 10:06 am

  I have driven Chevy, Dodge & Mazda and am so Happy I made this purchase. I got rid of a car with Gas mileage of 26/32 and This car blew my mind with the look and value. I love the GPS and Bluetooth which other cars have but jack up the price over 25k.

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  All the Car Ill Ever Need or Want - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By drtone - November 9 - 2:53 am

  Weve had our Sonata GLS V6 for about six months, and I have yet to find anything I dont like about it. The worst thing I can say is that the knobs and buttons are slightly different from those in my Hyundai Sante Fe, so that it can be momentarily confusing. The ride is postive, with great road feel, but also comfortable. The car handles beautifully at any speed. The car is fast enough, and its performance is best when it is need the most, at passing speeds. The automatic transmission shifts so smoothly it is almost spooky. I confess to not having driven the competition, but it is hard for me to imagine that, for the money, any of the Japanese sedans is better.

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  Love The Car - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By bob H - November 8 - 5:20 pm

  Just purchased this vehicle, took ride from Florida to North Carolina. Santa Fe rode just like a car not a SUV. Owned car for 1 week now, put on 1500 miles and love it. Gas mileage not bad, 26-28 mpg depending on your speed on highway. Not Hybriid mileage, but acceptable. Nothing negative to say about car.